Fr. Christopher Rengers, O.F.M., Cap.

I was born in Pittsburgh in
1917 and when I was old enough, I was sent to the local parochial
schools. I entered the Capuchin novitiate in Maryland in 1936
and made my first vows about a year later. I was ordained in
Washington, D.C. in 1942 but continued my education, obtaining
an M.A. in history from St. Louis University. I taught four years
at St. Joseph College and Military Academy in Kansas, did a stint
as a chaplain, then bounced around for the next 50 years doing
parish work in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland and Washington,
D.C.

My favorite topics are devotion
to St. Joseph and Our Lady of Guadalupe. I founded the St.
Joseph Medal Apostolate and its related group for the laity,
The Workers of St. Joseph. We foster devotion through a medal
of St. Joseph and its literature. The "Joseph way of life"
is well expressed in the Workers' "Sum-up Prayer":

May Joseph with hammer-blow my soul re-make
In pleasing pattern of Mary's choice.
So all I do is done for Jesus' sake,
And echoes clear the Father's voice.

In regards to Our Lady of Guadalupe,
I make materials available on the subject (wrote a book on it,
too), and arrange retreat-pilgrimages to her shrine in Mexico
City. The combined effect of this devotion to Joseph and Mary
is directed to the flowering of new devotion to Jesus present
in the Blessed Sacrament.

I also started a pagaent that
told the story of Guadalupe as a stage production, and in 1979,
I helped start the Queen of the Americas Guild, a group that
also promotes information on Guadalupe.

Bibliography:

The Youngest Prophet (Ven. Jacinta Marto) Mary of the AmericasWords from the CrossThey Played in Calvary's Drama (republished as Saints
and Sinners of Calvary) The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross
various magazine articles in Our Sunday Visitor, Soul,
Priest, Pastoral Life, Homiletic and Pastoral Review and
Extension. 33 Doctors of the Church